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Welcome to Am I Infected

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Posted Tuesday, August 28, 2012

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Author
Topic: Very Anxious and worried, please help (Read 1318 times)

First of all I appreciate this site for many reasons, it gives guidance and awareness against the social stigma of HIV and I get everyone credit here who is able to guide others in help and advice to issues they're dealing with, I especially commend the positive members who are kind enough to help out everyone, so anyways,

last Tuesday I had unprotected anal sex, I was the bottom, and we were unprotected a couple times but never ejaculation, he had recently (him and his partner) been tested the previous Monday and was negative (5Th of DEC) , I know that I'm at risk for catching HIV as anyone is whom has had unprotected sex and thus I'm concerned with the symptoms I've been having.. So I had unprotected (the 11Th) and now its the 22ND.. also FYI this guy I've known for a couple months and wasn't just a one time thing, if that makes a difference which really doesn't.. but the symptoms I've been having started on Thursday which would be 9 days after potential exposure which could be accurate .... my symptoms include...

inguinal lymph node pain, on both sides, they're kinda like a sore pain like if you had a bruise or something, somewhat fatigue but still manage to workout and lift and everything just sometimes their is kind of a weight behind my eyeswhite milkish discharge in stool last night I had white milkish discharge during urination as well..sometimes slight burning / pain when urinating

no fever, no swollen lymph nodes in arms or neck and no signs of an ARS rash ...

so that's my concern, is it more of looking like another std? gonorrhea or syphilis or chlamydia? that is my thoughts right now but I could be wrong, I've got real bad anxiety as it is and always fear every single symptom to something related to it, I'm an idiot for having unprotected sex, and don't often, actually only have twice in my life and the other I'm fine because I had an HIV test greater then 6 weeks and 3 months taken.. I'm going to get tested again but know with HIV an accurate test wouldn't be until at least 4 weeks where it would be 95% accurate... anyways , it's the holiday weekend so everything is closed and I'm currently under my parents insurance (USA has until you're 26, 21 here) and so I'm just trying to figure when I could test for the other STDs, I found some ammoxacilin so I'm taking some of that until it runs out Monday (Xmas eve where hopefully I can go get tested for the other STDs) is there a link to those other stds and HIV as well? and with the lymph nodes should my other lymph nodes be swollen and tender if it's HIV already or does it take time for the virus to spread throughout the body so I wouldn't know for a week or so? I'm just concerned and give you guys so much credit and hope to put some questions to rest, thanks again so much if you took the time to read over this...

OK M, for starters I want you to take a couple of nice deep slow breaths in and out. I mean it. Do that now. And do it everytime you become aware of anxiety building. It really, really helps to breathe well.

Now to your concerns. You know you had a risk. Nothing you are reporting symptomatically is HIV specific. And for now and for the future you need to know that neither the presence or absence of symptoms can ever be depended upon to tell you anything accurately about your HIV status. Only an HIV test taken at the proper time can give you that answer.

You can test initially at 6 weeks after the risk. If you test negative then it is likely you will continue to test negative a 3 months for a conclusive result. The average time to seconversion is 22 days.

As for concerns about any other STDs, our focus here is strictly on HIV. So other STDs are something to discuss with your doctor.

Now for the future you need to stop taking risks. You can have as much anal sex as you want to and with anyone regardless of their HIV status. But you need to do it the safer way. That means without any exceptions the insertive partner needs to use a condom. Condoms provide very effective protection.

thank you so much for getting back to me so soon, I really appreciate it Andy.I would just like to ask when dealing with early HIV signs, my main concern is my lymph nodes in my groin, I was wondering by them being in pain, for them to be an ARS / Early HIV symptom would all my lymph nodes have to be swollen by now? And this is ignorance but do lymph nodes all swell up at once if its an infection in all of the body or does it go lymph node by lymph node eventually through a longer period of time (week or so) all of the lymph nodes are swollen or in pain or tender or w/e their case be? Thanks again so much, and I will definitely let you know, like I said I commend you and other members for being so vocal and communicative with the anxiety stricken individuals like myself.

Keep your hands off your lymph glands. Any infection can cause them to swell, not just hiv and we're not going to indulge you where your glands are concerned. If they're bothering you, go see a doctor about them.

Most other STIs can be tested for ten days to two weeks following a risk. You were not being very wise by taking an antibiotic you found without seeing a doctor first - sometimes you need a specific antibiotic for a specific infection. Stop self-medicating and self-diagnosing and go to a real doctor. You're not a doctor.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts